It is well known that cigarettes contain, amongst other things, nicotine and tar as well as nitric acid from the impregnation of thee cigarette paper. Recent statistical studies regarding smoking and the incidence of cancer, as well as other well known studies on the general adverse effects of cigarettes on human health, such as, the formation of carbon monoxide, have forced the tobacco producing companies to display a health warning sign on all their advertisements, as well as on the cigarette packs themselves and in many countries have led to the banning of smoking in closed public places.
In order to reduce the concentration of harmful constituents in cigarettes, tobacco industries have produced extra light cigarettes with lower content in tar and nicotine. Special filters have also been manufactured in the form of smoking pipes for controlling tar. Other filters with many small holes have also been used. Such efforts have however led to considerable reduction of the pleasure associated with smoking.
Various methods are disclosed in the prior art for treating tobacco or tobacco leaves, with the purpose of decreasing nicotine content and/or conditioning tobacco, i.e. expanding the same to render it suitable for use. Such methods are for example disclosed in Chemical Abstracts, vol. 80, No. 9, Abstract 45796 or Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 94, no. 15, Abstract 118063 or JP-A-551279 80 (WPI/DERWENT) Abstract AN-80-81756C or FR-A-2 272 612 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,933), wherein variations of heat treatment with H.sub.2 O.sub.2 is proposed, however relating only to tobacco, tobacco leaves or rolled and cut tobacco stems.
Alternatively WO-A-0/03124 proposes a device for the otherwise conventional steam treatment of tobacco, in particular it proposes a treatment of a movable, vibrating stream of tobacco particles by means of steam. Eventually, both U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,933 and SU-A-799714 make reference to treating tobacco with infrared light with a view of drying and expanding the same.
With the exemption of WO-A-90/03124, none of the above cited references discloses a particular apparatus for treatment of tobacco products. However, the apparatus disclosed in WO-A-90/03124 relates to a movable and vibrated stream of tobacco particles, being treated by steam passing therethrough and has no structural or functional resemblance to the apparatus disclosed in the present invention wherein, besides other things, a quite extended period of time of tobacco products exposure is necessary to allow interaction of vapors of the working liquid and infrared radiation with tobacco. Moreover, the disclosed methods of treatment relate only to tobacco or tobacco leaves or rolled and cut tobacco stems still within the phase of their treatment at an industrial scale and in no way do they make any reference to treatment of ready made cigarettes or tobacco.
Thus, all the above methods and related products being made available by industry itself do not allow the possibility for the end user--the smoker--to proceed with treatment of the cigarettes or tobacco he buys in order to remove harmful constituents thereof before smoking. Moreover, the success rate in retention of harmful constituents using the methods of the prior art has proven frustrating and ineffective.